Laptop and tablet computers are in wide use. A laptop computer or “laptop” can be described as a display that is rotatably mounted or joined to a keyboard. The display has opposing surfaces including a display surface and an outer housing surface that are joined by peripheral edges of the outer housing of the display. The keyboard has opposing surfaces including an outer housing surface and a keyboard side that are joined by peripheral edges of the outer housing of the keyboard. When the laptop is not in use it is in a “closed configuration” whereby the keyboard side faces the display surface. In use the display is rotated about a hinge whereby it is inclined relative to the keyboard side.
A tablet computer or “tablet” is often a display with no keyboard. There is a desire to have hybrid computers that can function as either a laptop or a tablet. One way to do this is to allow the hinge of a laptop to rotate at or near 360 degrees from the closed configuration to a state at which the keyboard side and the display surface are facing outwardly in opposed directions. In this state the outer housing surface of the keyboard faces the outer housing surface of the display. The hybrid computer can therefore function in either a laptop configuration or a tablet configuration.
There is often desire to protect computers from shock of being dropped and abrasion. With a hybrid computer this presents unique challenges because of the need for outer housing surfaces of the keyboard and display to be in close proximity when in the tablet configuration.